Friday Night Ritual
by Sparkle731
Summary: Starsky calls his mother faithfully every Friday night. Sometimes he tells her things she doesn't want to hear. Just a short little snippet that came to mind. Story is complete.


FRIDAY NIGHT RITUAL

**FRIDAY NIGHT RITUAL**

David Starsky sighed heavily as he picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number. He called his mother back home in New York every Friday at the same time. It was a ritual he had followed religiously since moving to California over ten years ago when he was thirteen. The only time he had missed making his weekly call had been when he spent 18 months in southwestern Asia, courtesy of Uncle Sam.

He knew that his mother would not be pleased with the news he planned on sharing with her during this weeks call. He had received his acceptance letter to the Police Academy two days ago. He started classes in three weeks. His father had been a cop back in New York City and Starsky intended to follow in his footsteps. Unlike some of the other cadets that would be attending the academy with him, he was painfully aware of the inherent danger of his chosen career. His own father had been murdered in front of his wife and two young sons simply because he was a cop who was good at his job.  
Starsky could just as easily have chosen a path on the opposite side of the law. Filled with rage and repressed grief following his father's death, he had started hanging out with the wrong crowd and getting into a lot of trouble. His mother had sent him to Bay City to live with his aunt and uncle to save him from the poor choices he was making in his life. That forced separation had caused a rift between mother and son that had taken years to mend. With the hindsight that came with adulthood, Starsky understood that his mother had done the best thing she could do for him at the time. And for her having the wisdom and the courage to do that, he would always be grateful.

His thoughts were interrupted by his mother's cheerful voice as she picked up the phone. "Davy, is that you?" she said, her customary greeting whenever he called.

"Yeah, Ma. It's me." He said smiling faintly as he felt the warmth of his mother's love wrapping around him from over three thousand miles away.

"How are you? Have you met any nice girls yet?"

Starsky rolled his eyes as his mother focused on her favorite topic. A typical Jewish mother, she felt that it was her duty to remind him that he needed to find a nice Jewish girl to marry and settle down, giving her a houseful of grandchildren to spoil. She often felt the need to remind him that he wasn't getting any younger and that she had already been married to his father for two years and that he was on the way when his father was his age. She couldn't understand his almost obsessive need to remain single, at least for the time being.

"All the girls I date are nice girls, Ma." He assured her, waiting patiently for her next question.

"But there's no one special? No good girl from a nice family that you want to spend more time with?"

"No, Ma. Not yet. Believe me, you'll be the first to know when I find her."

"You could always come back home. There are plenty of nice, available girls here that would love to meet you." Rachel Starsky said, voicing another familiar argument. She always seemed to have a list of nice Jewish girls she insisted on introducing him to whenever he went home for a visit.

"There are plenty of nice, available girls out here too, Ma." He pointed out patiently.

"Jewish ones?" Rachel said, putting a strong emphasis on the word Jewish. "You need to find a nice Jewish girl…unless she is willing to convert of course."

"Ma, we've been through this before. I don't care if she's Jewish or not. You'll just have to trust me. I'll know when I find the right one."

"I don't like the idea of you dating a _goy. _They don't understand our culture, our heritage…"

"Ma," Starsky said cutting her off before she could continue. "Trust me. Okay?" he quickly changed the subject before it got uncomfortable for both of them. "I have some good news. At least, I think its good news." He took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing. "I got accepted to the police academy. I start in three weeks."

For several seconds Starsky heard nothing but silence on the other end of the line as his mother absorbed his news. Finally, she said in a shaken tone, "David, are you sure that you really want to do this?"

"Yeah, ma. I'm sure." He said confidently. He had known that his mother would not react well to his news but he had to do what he felt in his heart was the right thing for him despite his mother's objections and reservations. "I wanna be a cop. Just like Pop."

"Do you want to die like your father did?" Rachel said, a sob catching in her throat as she forced out the words past the lump in her throat. "Gunned down in front of his own home for simply doing his job?"

"Of course not." Starsky said a bit more harshly than he intended to. "I know how you feel about this, Ma but this is something I have to do. I'm an adult. I don't need your permission but I would like to have your approval." He softened his voice but his tone remained firm.

He heard his mother's sigh and the fear that crept into her voice as she replied. "I don't want to lose you too…"

"I know."

"But, I can't say that I'm really that surprised at your decision to do this. I know how much you idolized your father, how proud you were of him. And I know how proud he would be of you and of the man that you've become. If this is what you want to do with your life, if this is what will make you happy, then I will try to understand and accept your decision…even if I don't entirely approve."

"That's all I'm asking you to do." He said gently. "I don't intend on going out there and getting myself killed…not if I can help it."

"Your father didn't intend to get shot either." Rachel felt the need to point out to her stubborn eldest child. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. I just need some time to get used to the idea."

"I know and its okay." Starsky said with a smile that showed in his voice. "You wouldn't be you if you weren't worried about me. I know that you're scared that something might happen to me…like it did to Pop. But neither one of us can let that fear control our lives or it'll cripple us."

"How did you get to be so wise?" Rachel said quietly, the fondness in her voice quite obvious and heartfelt.

"I had a good teacher." He told her affectionately. His childhood had been filled love and his parents had taught him at an early age to be self reliant and independent, to think for himself and not to be swayed by the influence of his peers. There may have been times in his life that he had forgotten those lessons but in the end those values that his parents had installed in him had led him to make the right choices and to change the direction of his life as needed. His father's murder when he was so young and being sent across the country to live with relatives he barely knew had severely traumatized him during his formative years but had helped to shape the man that he had eventually become. A man who was proud of his heritage, his accomplishments and of who he was.

"I love you, David." His mother's voice said in his ear, her voice sounding calmer and less emotional.

"I love you too, Ma. I'll call you next week at the usual time." He hung up with a lopsided grin. Eventually, he knew that his mother would accept his decision and support him in every way that she could. All she needed was some time to accept the idea of him becoming a cop, the same career that had cost her husband his life.

**THE END AND THE BEGINNING**


End file.
